Tracking RAINCOAST into 2008...(seals and sea lions) and mustelids (sea otters and river otters)....

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Tracking RAINCOAST into 2008

Transcript of Tracking RAINCOAST into 2008...(seals and sea lions) and mustelids (sea otters and river otters)....

Page 1: Tracking RAINCOAST into 2008...(seals and sea lions) and mustelids (sea otters and river otters). Worldwide, the single greatest conservation threat to marine mammals is the loss of

Track ing R A I N COA S T into 2008

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C O L L E E N M c C R O R Y , one of the world’s renowned environ-mental activists, died suddenly in July 2007 at the age of 57.

Colleen founded and ran the Valhalla Wilderness Society, based in the West Kootenays of BC, for more than thirty years. She will be remembered as one of the most brave, effective and dedi-cated activists in the history of North American environmentalism. Colleen won multiple awards for her work, including a Governor-General’s award in 1983 and the prestigious U.S. Goldman Environmental Prize in 1992.

She was an ardent and brilliant grassroots organizer. In the words of her son, Shea Pownall, “She was the goddess of networking. She knew how to connect with people and rally support for wilderness areas all over the world.”

Colleen was a mentor and an inspiration to many at Raincoast. We miss her greatly, and we dedicate this year’s Tracking Raincoast to her memory.

Colleen McCrory hiking. Photo courtesy of Derek Willans

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Chris Genovali, Executive Director, Raincoast Conservation Foundation

Raincoast is a team. We are scientists and conservationists dedicated to furthering the protection of the marine and terrestrial ecosystems throughout British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest – the largest remaining network of coastal temperate rainforest on the planet.

Over the past decade, Raincoast has established a niche in the conservation commu-nity. We are a science-based organization with multiple primary research projects on- going on BC’s central and north coasts. We have worked hard to build an infrastructure – our field station near Waglisla (Bella Bella) and research vessel Achiever – that supports our field projects.

As we have gained insight into the evolution of the Great Bear Rainforest’s coastal eco-systems, our own evolution as an organization continues. As plants and animals adapt to changing conditions, we must also adapt to a changing social, political and economic environment.

In this context, we continue to implement creative solutions to conservation challenges in the same way that our purchase of a coastal guide outfitting tenure is addressing large carnivore management. We are also enhancing our focus on working with local commu-nities.

For most of Raincoast’s existence, the primary threats to the Great Bear Rainforest have been related to forestry. While progress has been made with the establishment of a number of new protected areas, there is now a suite of other emerging threats, many pro-posed against the backdrop of energy development. As a result, the Great Bear Rainforest is currently faced with the possibility of widespread industrialization.

Looming on the horizon are proposals for massive wind farm projects in key large car-nivore habitat, run of the river hydro projects in salmon watersheds, mining in pristine valleys, lodge development in protected areas, fish farm expansion, offshore oil and gas exploration and drilling, increased tanker traffic, and oil pipeline construction. During all of these on-going discussions and debates, we will be there to stand for wildlife and wilderness.

With land use plans now in place for the central and north coasts, there is also a vital need to monitor the implementation of the Great Bear Rainforest Agreement’s com-mitments. During these changing times, we will be there with our eyes and ears to the ground.

We invite you to partner with us. Your support, your donations, and your involvement are what makes this important work possible.

Sincerely,

Raincoast staff in the f ield

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Defining and defending marine mammal habitat

Marine mammals include cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises), pinnipeds (seals and sea lions) and mustelids (sea otters and river otters). Worldwide, the single greatest conservation threat to marine mammals is the loss of suitable habitat. To survive and reproduce, marine mammals need areas of the ocean where they are safe from hazards such as food contamination, pollution, disturbing levels of underwater noise, collisions with ships, and entanglement in fishing nets. Internationally, marine conservation measures include the establishment of marine protected areas, diver-sion of shipping lanes, and regulation of fishing practices and underwater noise.

m a r i n e c o n s e r v a t i o n

Currently, the coastal waters of British Columbia provide habitat for over 20 different species of marine mammals, including blue whales, fin whales, killer whales, Pacific white-sided dolphins, minke whales, gray whales, hump-back whales, Steller sea lions and sea otters. This rich and productive ma-rine habitat, and all of the species that inhabit it, are critical to the debates over oil and gas drilling and tanker traffic in the waters of the Great Bear Rainforest.

Since 2004, Raincoast has been conducting boat-based, systematic surveys of British Columbia’s coastal waters in an attempt to document the abun-dance and distribution of marine mammals. Aboard our 23-metre research vessel, Achiever, a team of seven to nine scientists work, sleep and eat for one to two months at a time. Our surveys cover the waters between Dixon Entrance (near the Alaska-BC border) and Vancouver Island. Our pre-set tracklines take us across Hecate and Queen Charlotte Straits and into several separate inlets along the mainland central and northern coasts. In 2007, we conducted both a spring (April-May) and a fall (October-November) survey, spending close to four months in the field. In 2008, we plan to conduct a summer (July-August) survey and publish a major report on our findings to date.

From all of this hard work, we are learning an incredible amount about marine mammals in British Columbia. We have now recorded over 2,500 sightings of marine mammals and surveyed over 9,000 km of trackline. We are learning about the places of greatest importance to each species and about how their distribution and abundance changes with the seasons. We are documenting what’s at stake, and we are sharing our results with local marine planners, coastal communities, the scientific community, conserva-tion groups, and our provincial and federal governments. Raincoast is work-ing to ensure that, amidst a changing seascape, this rich and productive marine habitat is protected for its marine mammal inhabitants.

Steller sea lions, Eumetopias jubatus

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* Your donation will help support a coastal outreach and education program.

The word

plankton is

derived from

the Greek

word plagktos,

which means

‘wandering’.

Tiny clues of oceanic importance

Zooplankton are microscopic animals that feed on microscopic plants (phy-toplankton). They include organisms such as tiny crustaceans, protozoans, and the larval stages of fish, sea stars, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers. They are classified as plankton because they drift with water movement and gener-ally do not have organs for locomotion. Zooplankton, in turn, are food for many marine mammals living on our coast including humpback, fin, minke and gray whales. Zooplankton samples are collected using a very fine mesh net at specific sampling stations throughout our marine survey route.

While terrestrial habitats are more likely to have specific boundaries, ma-rine systems are much more dynamic; currents, temperature and salinity change on a continual basis with changing tides, light levels and seasons. By analyzing the DNA of these free-floating organisms, we can map our coastal waters from a genetic perspective. By comparing the genetic make-up of individual zooplankton, we hope to see where oceanic boundaries lie, on a spatial and temporal scale. By deciphering areas of ocean connectivity and isolation, we are better positioned to define marine habitat areas in BC’s coastal waters.

Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae, lunge feeding in Troupe Passage.

Octopus larva collected in Hecate Strait zooplankton sample.

BC’s f irst population estimates for Pacif ic white-sided dolphins will be published in the Journal of Cetacean Research and Management in 2008.

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Winged diversity and distribution

Since our marine bird surveys of Queen Charlotte Sound, Hecate Strait and mainland inlets began in 2005, we have counted over 30,000 birds in over 10,000 bird sight-ings, and we have documented 59 species.

Marine birds, which include seabirds, marine water-fowl, shorebirds and marine raptors, use this unique area for critical activities. It is part of the Pacific f lyway, a migration corridor for a number of marine birds such as loons and geese that nest in the arctic. Approximately sixteen seabird species nest in this highly productive region, which also attracts multitudes of visiting long-distance seabird migrants such as albatross and shear-waters. Although seabird nesting colonies in this area are relatively well studied, the at-sea diversity and distribu-tion of all marine birds is poorly documented. Further, seasonally driven shifts in marine bird assemblages are not fully understood.

By determining the seasonal diversity and distribution of marine birds we can begin to define critical habitats, provide a baseline for future comparative research and assess the potential impacts of industrial development. With the looming threat of major oil and gas develop-ment on our coast, this research is a critical resource, and the results will be shared widely.

Leading ornithologists consider Hecate Strait the most important body of water for seabirds on the Canadian Pacif ic coast.Right: Black-footed albatross. Below: Barrow’s goldeneye take flight.

Seismic success

Thanks to an overwhelming public response, the Batho-liths seismic research project, scheduled for fall 2007, was cancelled. Consequently, marine mammals inhab-ited the waters of the Great Bear Rainforest free from the destructive sounds of seismic exploration.

The Batholiths project, a joint initiative between American and Canadian scientists, planned to use very high-energy noise, exploded into the ocean and injected into the earth, to study how the Coast Mountains were formed. Exploring the seabed using intense sound waves, whether for oil and gas exploration or geological research, is a violent acoustic assault on the marine en-vironment and its marine mammal inhabitants who rely on hearing to locate prey, find mates and stay in contact with their young.

Raincoast is committed to protecting marine habitat in coastal BC, and we are fighting to keep these destruc-tive sounds out of our waters. Thank you to those who spoke out on this issue.

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Salmon in the Great Bear

Scientific insight continues to reveal remarkable connections between rainforest evolution and salmon. It is the salmon that weave connections between our stud-ies on grizzly bear diet, wolf behaviour, small streams, and lake cores. Even in the smallest of streams, salmon find their way to spawning grounds, and nutrients from their carcasses permeate the coastal food web.

Finned migration

In order to inform marine use planning and stop the northward expansion of fish farms, we must understand the habitat requirements of both juvenile and adult salmon. By studying juvenile salmon on their way to the open sea for the last three years, we have gleaned some important information about their mysterious and rarely studied out-migration.

In 2006, the peak migration of salmon smolts on the central coast was during the third week of May. This migration time may vary somewhat from year to year, but it is arguably the most difficult in a salmon’s life (with sea birds, fish, and marine mammals all awaiting a nutritious meal). The smolts must feed, gather strength, and make the extensive journey toward the ocean, evading predators all the while.

w i l d s a l m o n

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We have learned that on the central coast pink and chum salmon school close to shore and near the surface, preferring to gather near points of land. Water temperature, salinity, and plankton abundance may be the greatest predictors of where schools gather during their outward migration.

By late June, these smolts are twice the size they were at the beginning of the migration in late March and early April. We do not know whether these larger smolts are juveniles lingering in their native area before joining schools along the continental shelf, or if they are from a more southern set of young salmon heading north.

Sea lice: a fish farm legacy

Outbreaks of sea lice have been recorded in every region that hosts salmon farms, including Norway, Scotland, Ireland, Chile, eastern Canada, and BC. Researchers have repeatedly identified salmon farms as permanent hosts of this infectious parasite, and they have further shown juvenile salmonids be-coming lethally infected by lice as they travel past farms during their spring migration. It is during the first months of their migration to the sea that juvenile pink and chum salmon are particularly sensitive to sea lice infection due to their small size and lack of scales for protection.

In 2007, Raincoast’s sea lice project, in collaboration with Simon Fraser University and the Broughton Ecosystem Project, monitored levels of sea lice on migrating juvenile salmonids on BC’s central coast. We chose to monitor the farm-free region of Bella Bella to test the salmon farm industry hypoth-esis that sea lice on migrating juvenile salmon is a natural occurrence. During eight rounds of sampling between April and June we collected 2,071 juveniles using a beach seine. Our samples were sent to a lab in Oona River on BC’s north coast where 86 lice were identified. Compared to infection levels as high as 95% in high farm-density areas such as the Broughton Archipelago, our recorded level of 4% is one of the lowest on the coast.

Raincoast will continue its central coast sea lice research in 2008 with an additional project to monitor the active salmon farms near Klemtu. Two new farm sites have recently been approved in Sheep Passage despite a recent government committee recommendation for no new salmon farms in the province. We aim to further monitor existing farms in the area, and to iden-tify lice levels in Sheep Passage before farms become operational.

* Your donation will bring meaning to statistical data by creating new maps of salmon ecosystems.

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Memories in the mud

In Rivers Inlet, just north of Cape Caution in the Great Bear Rainforest, the number of returning sockeye salmon is very low. We are attempting to recon-struct the history of salmon abundance in that region by studying sediment cores from the bottom of Owikeeno Lake, and our analyses are revealing a complex story. It is apparent that there are changes in the chemical signatures we are studying that represent changes in the lake environment, but the cause of the changes is not yet clear. Perhaps we are witnessing a historical balance upset by extensive extraction of forests and fish; perhaps these chemical changes represent climate change and increased glacial melt; and perhaps it is a combination of these and other factors.

Logging within the Owikeeno drainage has now ended, and a fisheries moratorium has been in effect since 1996; however, low sockeye numbers con-tinue. This project, along with other research lead by Simon Fraser University and the Wuikinuxv Nation, continues to seek the cause of the Rivers Inlet sockeye collapse that directly affects the Owikeeno People, and the region’s wildlife.

Ghost Runs 2007

In the late nineties, the relationship between salmon abundance and produc-tive watersheds prompted Raincoast to investigate the status of coastal salm-on returns and to document the threats facing wild salmon. We published our findings in a comprehensive report called “Ghost Runs”. This alarming publication revealed a lack of documented information about most of the salmon runs in question, and it catalogued the depressed state of many other runs. In 2007, we updated “Ghost Runs”, and our findings are equally bleak. Spawning records show a substantial deficit in numbers of fish, and hence nutrients, returning to these watersheds. We can only speculate on the impli-cations of decades of reduced nutrients delivered to coastal watersheds, but research suggests that nutrient deficits will perpetuate the decline of salmon and impair other ecosystem services.

Left: Beach seines are used to sample juvenile salmon. Below: The American marten, Martes americana, is another species that feeds on salmon.

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At home in the wild

Several years ago, Raincoast had a vision: to establish a fully equipped field sta-tion from which all of our research activities could be based. Included in that vision was an increase in our capacity to accept volunteers and students from the local Heiltsuk community, as well as the establishment of a facility that would allow Raincoast to thrive as the only conservation organization with a permanent presence in the Great Bear Rainforest.

The station had

more than 100

visitors and guests

this year, we

supplied 727

person nights of

accommodation

and shared many

meals with local

community

members.

* Your donation will help to support a field station manager.

r a i n c o a s t f i e l d s t a t i o n

Thanks to Raincoast supporters Andrew Kotaska and Christine Scott, that vision was set in motion in 2005. After the couple kindly provided us with a site for our field station, over forty volunteers were recruited to upgrade the existing facility. Volunteer Teunis Jan (TJ) Schouten, who dedicated himself to the timely completion of this project, led the charge. As a result, the newly renovated field station was able to open its doors on schedule in spring 2007.

Looking back on the field station’s inaugural season, it is easy to say that it was an outstanding success. The station provided a home base for over 30 researchers, staff, media representatives, and volunteers. Half a dozen other Raincoast or collaborating research crews were also able to benefit from the station’s proximity to their study area, as well as its new dock, satellite inter-net, cooking facilities, and other resources. Most importantly, however, being so close the village of Waglisla (Bella Bella), the field station strengthened old and new partnerships with members of the Heiltsuk community.

It is an exciting time in our organization’s history, and the future is equally bright; the field station will continue to allow Raincoast staff and our team of collaborators, volunteers, and work experience students to exceed their goals for years to come. A new dock at

the f ield station increases safety and stability.

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* Your donation will help us maintain our essential research vessel, Achiever.

For information on the sale of the 70 ft power vessel Hemisphere Dancer, to charter Achiever, or to learn about “Friends of Achiever”, please contact Brian Falconer, [email protected].

Achiever gets to work

Achiever is our dedicated research vessel, owned and operated by Raincoast. She was purchased in 2003, has undergone an ex-tensive refit, and is inspected and certified annually by the Canadian Coast Guard. 2007 was the first full year of operations for Achiever since her remodel, and it was truly a spectacular year.

Achiever left the Vancouver shipyard on March 24th and went straight to work in a stormy Hecate Basin. The season was bracketed by marine surveys, and it also included salmon, sea lion and wolf work for Raincoast and its partners at various universities.

Achiever also introduced supporters to the stunning beauty of the Great Bear Rainforest, monitored activities in our commercial guide outfitter terri-tory, and was the face of Raincoast in remote, up-coast communities.

2008 will undoubtedly be another busy year as demand for Achiever is very high.

BBC fame for wild salmon

Our second vessel, Hemisphere Dancer, was chartered by the BBC for the making of a new documentary in the Great Bear Rainforest. “Earth’s Great Events”, the sequel to the Planet Earth Series, will be released in another year and will feature the miracle of the west coast’s salmon run.

During the filming, up to eight people lived on-board with plenty of storage for provisions, water, a canoe, kayaks, dinghies, outboard engines and more camera gear than we have ever seen.

Hemisphere Dancer was an ideal platform for this project, and, as she is up for sale, we trust she will be an equally good fit for her next owners.

The marine operations program provides logistical support for Raincoast research projects and those of our conservation partners. We supply a safe, reliable and effective platform to facilitate scientific research in the rugged, remote areas of the BC coast. We also deliver public outreach programs to remote coastal communities.

m a r i n e o p e r a t i o n s

A rare sight: Achiever at rest

This year, Achiever

logged over 10,000

nautical miles

between Vancouver

Island and the

Alaskan border on

6 different projects

during our 8 month

season. We pro-

vided over 1,600

person nights of

accommodation,

and prepared more

than 600 meals.

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n

H a i d a G w a i i

Bella Bella

Bella CoolaKlemtu

Kitimat

Prince Rupert

Skidegate

Port Hardy0 100 20050

km

GR

EA

T B

EA

R R

AI N

FO

RE

ST

Marine Study Area Border

n

n

n

n

n

n

Sealice sampling sites

Wolf project sampling sites

Newly documented salmonid streams

Marine Survey effort

Great Bear Rainforest

We are covering a lot of territory. This map details the movements of our projects and demon-strates that, while conducting valuable research, we are present to witness changes in the landscape. Our marine conservation team is traveling the tran-sects marked here; we are sampling juvenile salmon for sea lice, cataloguing salmon streams, and collecting wolf scat. Zooplankton samples, sea bird data, lake cores and vegetation samples collected here are pro-viding new ecological information. We have also run

r a i n c o a s t o n t h e g r o u n d

dog health clinics, facilitated documentary filmmaking, taught school children and discovered crane habitat. We have a permanent field station and a research ves-sel, and we own a large guide outfitting tenure. In the face of proposed and continuing industrial development, we need to have first-hand knowledge of this place. We need to be informed advocates. Vast areas of the Great Bear Rainforest remain truly wild. At Raincoast, we are fully committed to keeping it that way.

Map: Daisuke Kawai

Great Bear Rainforest

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Healthy wolves, healthy dogs

Disease is among the most serious threats to conservation worldwide. Accordingly, we are using a non-invasive, collaborative approach to gain insight on diseases not only in wolves but also in dogs, which serve as ‘sentinels’ of disease in their wild relatives. Information we are collecting will help identify and mitigate the effects of pathogens that could threaten coastal wolves, other wildlife, domestic animals, and even humans.

Our dog

clinics ran with

the help of

175 people in

6 remote

communities,

and 200 students

attended our

workshops.

Out of 533 wolf

faecal samples

examined, we

have identified

15 parasite species,

4 of which are of

potential risk to

humans.

In the spring of 2007, the wolf crew joined forces with local First Nations, veterinarians, the RCMP, and the Big Heart Rescue Society. Our team exam-ined, vaccinated, and de-wormed 107 dogs in six remote communities where previous veterinary care was largely absent. We estimate that we vaccinated 70-100% of dogs in each community, effectively eliminating several important canine diseases and thereby preventing their transfer to wildlife.

Blood samples taken from dogs during the clinics show that lethal ca-nine diseases such as parvovirus are present in dogs in coastal communities. Further testing of blood samples will reveal if coastal dogs have been exposed to other diseases such as distemper, Cryptococcus, Leptospira, and Neospora.

To complement dog clinics, our team has been busy searching for wolf scats, following our ‘facts from faeces’ approach. We have already identified at least 15 genera of parasites in these samples, including several that are of potential concern to human health. In the coming year, we will learn more

r a i n f o r e s t w o l v e s

Great Bear Rainforest

Far left: A student in Bella Bella listens to a healthy heartbeat.

Left: Vet student Ronan Eustace and Dr. Judit Smits check vitals on a local dog.

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about these parasites and their potential effects on wild-life and human health using genetic tools. We also plan to develop a spatially explicit model relating parasite dis-tribution in wolves to geographic features such as island biogeography, human influence, and proximity to dogs.

As part of our work, we have been involved with a number of outreach activities on conservation and ani-mal welfare. We have hosted discussions between vet-erinarians and dog owners, issued follow-up reports to dog owners, provided opportunities for elementary and high school students to participate in dog clinics, held a public meeting about dog health, and made numerous classroom visits. As in other years, we also spent a week exploring the world of wolves with children at Koeye cul-ture and science camp in Heiltsuk Territory (see links on www.koeyelodge.com).

Poo crew 2007. Left to right: Chris Darimont, Doug Brown, Heather Bryan, Ronan Eustace, and Maëlle Gouix. Missing from photo: Judit Smits, Heather Recker, and Curtis Campbell.

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* Your donation will help to provide room and board for our many dedicated scientists and volunteers.

A special thanks to our star wolf crew members –

Doug Brown Junior and Maëlle Gouix – who made

the season a great success. Doug generously shared

his local knowledge, extensive outdoor experience,

and excellent humour. Maëlle donated her time,

energy, and veterinary skills for six months.

Rainforest Wolf Project principlesOrganizationOur team is a distinctive and synergistic union of university graduate students and professors, local First Nations colleagues, animal welfare groups, veterinarians, and our own Raincoasters.

PhilosophyTo keep wild wolves truly wild, we employ exclusively non-invasive field methods. The welfare of individual animals is as important to us as the health of the population.

ProductivityCreative questions and approaches have allowed us to learn a remarkable amount in less than a decade from only the faeces and hair that wild wolves leave behind. We now know a great deal about wolf diet

and relationship with prey, use of marine resources, island ecology, reproductive and landscape needs, evolutionary history, disease and more.

RigourConsistently submitting our findings to peer-reviewed scientific journals fosters high-quality research and the privilege to contribute defensible recommendations to conservation debate.

OutreachWe are forerunners among applied conservation scientists, pioneering the practice of informed advocacy. Through programs that reach diverse groups on local and international scales, we have elevated Rainforest Wolves from obscurity to renown. They are now global flagships of a rare rainforest and a precious oceanic archipelago.

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Grizzlies in review

BC’s Ministry of Environment is proposing changes to its 25-year-old Wildlife Act. While this is long overdue, a coalition of legal and conservation groups found numerous flaws in the proposed changes. In a weighty submission to the government, Raincoast took the lead on the grizzly bear management recom-mendations.

WAGLISLA(BELLA BELLA)

Princess Royal Island

g r i z z l y b e a r s

Generally, the Wildlife Act Discussion Paper fails to acknowledge the necessary steps that must be taken to address systemic flaws in British Columbia’s approach to protecting wildlife. It ignores issues such as global warming and states that other key issues – like habitat protection – will be addressed at another time, in other laws.

The document has an anachronistic tone and contains several eyebrow-raising policy suggestions such as lowering the age restriction of hunters from 18 to 10, increasing the number of hunters by 20,000, reducing the price of licenses, and reducing the knowledge requirements to hunt wildlife. These suggested changes expose a lack of vision and depth in a document designed to bring wildlife management into the 21st century.

Specifically for grizzlies, the proposed updates do not address their ongo-ing ‘harvest’, or ensure protection for hunted populations in decline. There is no commitment to implementing Grizzly Bear Management Areas (no hunting zones), including the three associated with the Great Bear Rainforest Agreement. Sport hunting and over exploitation of grizzly bears continue as status quo under the revisions.

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* Help us to spread the word. Your donation will contribute to publications and outreach about trophy hunting and grizzly management.

Hibernation hangover

In addition to hunting pressures, habitat loss and declining food supply that still threaten grizzlies around the province, our contaminant study is reveal-ing additional concern from global pollutants.

In 2007, Raincoast and its partners published a second paper examining how hibernation affects the concentration and breakdown of toxic chlori-nated and brominated pollutants in grizzly bears. Generally, pollutants in the bear’s fat become concentrated as this energy source is burned off during winter. Elevated concentrations of contaminants and metabolic products may be passed on to newborn cubs through consumption of their mother’s milk. Endocrine-disrupting flame retardants (PBDEs) currently used in Canada are one such contaminant that accumulates and concentrates in grizzly bears. Raincoast is calling on Environment Canada to ban all forms of f lame retardants.

• BELLA COOLA

WAGLISLA(BELLA BELLA)

Vancouver Island

Cape Caution

Princess Royal Island

0 20 40 60

kilometres

Raincoast Outfitters Ltd. license area

Guide Outfitter Update

In 2008, Raincoast will be exercising its

rights as owner of a guide outfitter terri-

tory to address industrial or commercial

activity that could negatively impact

large carnivores in a vast area of the

Great Bear Rainforest. We purchased this

20,000 square kilometer territory, locat-

ed on the central coast, in late 2005.

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Jewels of the Pacific Flyway

Sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) are large, long-lived, charismatic and intelligent birds. In many cultures they are symbolic of longevity, loyalty, nobility, and wilder-ness. In BC, they are also listed as a species of special con-cern. They breed in remote and rugged wilderness areas, and they are particularly sensitive to disturbance.

In partnership with Raincoast, the Coastal Sandhill Crane Project completed its first full field season in 2007. The project is identifying and protecting coastal Sandhill crane habitat, studying their natural history, and educating the public about these amazing birds.

Sandhills are making a comeback after hunting nearly wiped them out in the 19th century. There are currently about 4,000 Canadian Sandhill cranes that use the BC coast, and their unique life history requires a diversity of habitats including estuaries, beaches, old-growth fringe forest and upland bogs. You can contribute to this study by participating in Raincoast’s citizen science project (des-cribed at right), or by contacting coastalsandhillcrane@ gmail.com for more information.

* Your donation will help process, map and distribute new field data.

c i t i z e n s c i e n c e

Be a Citizen Scientist

Now is your chance to be a field biologist!

In 2007, Raincoast launched its Citizen Science

Project, and we welcome you to join our volunteer

team collecting observational data about species

in the Great Bear Rainforest. We need the help and

participation of any and all visitors and residents of

the central and north coast regions. The informa-

tion collected will help direct our research projects

including studies of wildlife distribution and human

impacts on wildlife. By participating, you will also

strengthen our field-based network of wilderness

advocates. To find out more and to get observation

forms, contact our office or go to www.raincoast.org

and follow the links.

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Friends of Raincoast

profiles individuals who deserve special recognition

for their dedication and generosity in helping

protect the Great Bear Rainforest.

TJ SchoutenAfter many years of hard work managing a family farm in the Netherlands, Teunis Jan (TJ) Schouten, anxious to travel the globe, de-cided to become a traveling volunteer. Driven by an industrious nature and a strong desire to help people, TJ found Raincoast in 2006, and, over a period of two years, he dedicated many months of his time and energy to help achieve Raincoast’s vision of a field station in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest.

Touched by the beauty and wildness of the landscape and intrigued by the uniqueness of the culture, TJ asserts that it was an easy deci-

sion to stay and work in the remote community of Bella Bella and share our goal of preserving this incredible place.

Not one to sit idle, TJ was always fixing or building something. Whether he was hauling lumber, insulating the roof, tiling the kitchen, tinkering with a prop, or engaging the station’s visitors, TJ left a wake of finished projects. On weekends, he volunteered in the field or at the Koeye youth camp.

Ingenious, energetic, positive and generous are words that TJ’s friends and co-workers commonly use to describe him. At the station, his philosophy of keeping things simple and efficient has expressed itself beautifully, and TJ’s lively presence will echo through his extraordinary contribution for years to come.

TJ travels the world in search of worthy volunteer projects, and he is loosely based in Europe.

Frances HunterWith this newsletter, you are experiencing just one of many creative design projects that Frances Hunter has created for Raincoast over the last decade. As a consummate professional, Frances has provided Raincoast not only with her expertise, but with an aesthetic that has become the hallmark of Raincoast’s publications and visual communications.

Frances is also a committed conservationist, a patient listener, and a gener-ous spirit; over the years, Frances says her initial respect and admiration for Raincoast has only grown. She is always available to help with a last minute request, and she has donated a great deal of her time to Raincoast.

With so much experience, such an artistic eye, and such a strong com-mitment to the environment, Frances has become an integral part of this organization. With her help, Raincoast’s projects stand out in the crowd, and it is only when we have caught people’s attention that we can we begin to make a difference.

Frances is a member of Beacon Hill Communications Group and currently specializes in book design. She lives with her husband, Ric, at Prospect Lake near Victoria, BC.

* Your donation will help process, map and distribute new field data.

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Images from the Great Bear Rainforest www.raincoast.org/lightbox

All proceeds from the sales

of these stunning images go

toward our continued efforts

to protect the amazing

wilderness captured in our

photographs. Please refer

to our website to view selections,

pricing and shipping details.

W a y s t o s u p p o r t R a i n c o a s t

This is a publication of the Raincoast Conservation Foundation, a research and public education organization that works with scientists, First Nations, government and non-governmental organizations to build support for decisions that protect marine and rainforest habitat on BC’s central and north coasts.

Raincoast Conservation Foundation is a registered charitable organiza-tion. Donations are tax deductible. For an IRS approved tax receipt in the US, please see the note on the facing page.

Become a monthly donorBe part of a dynamic community dedicated to preserving the realm of the Great Bear. The steady support from monthly giving enables us to plan ef-fectively and to respond quickly to issues as they emerge. Signing-on is easy and secure and your monthly donation adds up to a significant tax-deduct-ible contribution by the end of the year.

Honour a friend or family member with the gift of conservationConsider making a donation as a gift to someone special. Make a donation of $35 or more, and the person named will receive a card acknowledging your gift, a copy of our annual newsletter “Tracking Raincoast”, a subscrip-tion to our e-newsletter “Notes from the Field”, and a screensaver slide show featuring majestic images of the Great Bear Rainforest.

Thrifty’s Smile Card programThrifty Foods is currently providing critical support to our wild salmon project. We are very grateful to all of you who have contributed to the success of this program. We hope that you will continue to use your Thrifty’s card to help the forward progress of this important work. Joining the program is absolutely free, all you have to do is contact us to get a card, and use it when you shop at Thrifty’s.

Please contact our office at 250-655-1229 or toll free

1-877-655-1229 for more information on any of these programs.

Above photos by Ian McAllister

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H o w y o u c a n h e l p

PLEASE JOIN US IN OUR MISSION TO PRESERVE THE GREAT BEAR RAINFOREST

YES! I want to ensure that wolves, whales, bears, salmon and countless other species can depend upon the continued integrity of this ecosystem.

I would like to make a tax-deductible donation of:

$35 $50 $75 $100 $150 $250 Other ________

For your contribution, you will receive our annual newsletter, “Tracking Raincoast”, and a subscription to our monthly

e-mail newsletter “Notes from the Field”. Donations of over $35 will also receive a screensaver with beautiful images

of the Great Bear Rainforest.

To sign up for the Monthly Donor Program, please give our office a call.

Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Country. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Postal code. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Email address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Telephone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Please make all cheques payable to “Raincoast Conservation Foundation” and send to: Raincoast Conservation Foundation, PO Box 2429, Sidney, BC V8L 3Y3 Phone: 250-655-1229 Toll free: 1-877-655-1229 or, visit our website www.raincoast.org to make a donation via credit card. Our convenient and secure on-line service is set up to issue CRA approved e-tax receipts immediately following

confirmation of your gift.

A note to our supporters in the USTo receive an IRS approved tax receipt, please make all cheques payable to “Raincoast US” and send to: Raincoast US, PO Box 311, Orcas Island, WA 98280(Our US office can accept tax-deductible contributions via cheque only. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

Moving?Please call us or send an email to [email protected] to let us know.

Thank you for your generosity and support!

Plea

se p

hoto

copy

or

rem

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and

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W a y s t o s u p p o r t R a i n c o a s t

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This newsletter is printed on Mohawk Options paper which is 100% post consumer recycled, processed chlorine free, and manufactured with wind power. Savings derived from using 100% post consumer recycled fibre in lieu of virgin fibre: 5.88 trees preserved for the future, 2,496 gallons of wastewater flow and conserves 4,161,600 BTUs of energy. Savings from the use of emission-free wind-generated electricity: 282 lbs of air emissions not generated; 672 cubic feet of natural gas not used. These savings are equivalent to planting 19 trees or not driving 306 miles in an average car. (ECO-AUDIT SUPPLIED BY MOHAWK PAPER.)

2007 Staff and ContractorsChris GenovaliExecutive DirectorStephen AnsteeCaptain, Marine Operations ProgramHeather Bryan Biologist, Rainforest Wolf ProjectAlison Calestagne-MorelliField Station CoordinatorJennie ChristensenWildlife Toxicologist, Grizzly Contaminants ProjectChris DarimontResearch Scientist, Rainforest Wolf ProjectBrian FalconerMarine Operations Program CoordinatorRaechel GulkaDevelopment DirectorDoug JodrellFirst Mate, Marine Operations ProgramDaisuke Kawai Biologist, GIS Specialist Marine Conservation ProgramJennifer KingsleyCommunications and Program DevelopmentHeidi KrajewskyFirst Mate, Marine Operations ProgramMisty MacDuffeeBiologist, Wild Salmon ProgramPaul PaquetSenior Science AdvisorMichael PriceBiologist, Aquaculture CampaignHeather ReckerOutreach Coordinator, Programs AdministratorKaren RonaldFinancial OfficerNicola TempleBiologist, Wild Salmon Program CoordinatorJody WeirBiologist, Marine Conservation Program Coordinator

Newsletter photography: Heather Bryan, Alison Calestagne- Morelli, Mark Carwardine, Chris Darimont, Nathan deBruyn, Brian Falconer, Maëlle Gouix, Ric Hunter, Tim Irvin, Doug Jodrell, Jennifer Kingsley, Louise Page, Paul Paquet, Bruce Paterson, Heather Recker, Michael Werner, Rob Williams

In 2007… We welcomed Alison Calestagne-Morelli as field station coordinator, Caroline Fox as seabird specialist, Raechel Gulka to head our development team, Daisuke Kawai as our GIS specialist, Karen Ronald as financial officer, and Jody Weir as our marine program coordinator.

Congratulations to Nicola and Shelby Temple on the birth of their son, Morgan Fraser and to Jennie Christensen and Cliff Chourmouzis on the birth of their daughter, Lily Anika. We also congratulate Heather Bryan and Julian Ehlers on their marriage. Our best wishes to Chris Darimont on the completion of his PhD on the evolutionary biology and ecology of coastal wolves and to Corey Peet on the completion of his MSc on sealice and juvenile salmon.

Thanks to Felicity Prochnau for all of her help this summer as our Sidney office intern.

We said farewell to Jennifer Kingsley, Michelle Larstone, Nicola Temple, Rob Williams, and Robin Husband.

Finally, we wish farewell to Ian and Karen McAllister. After more than a decade of dedication to the forests and wildlife of the Great Bear Rainforest, Ian McAllister and his family have decided to pursue new opportunities at home and abroad. Their contribution to protecting the Great Bear Rainforest has lever-aged awareness and support from around the globe and helped secure protection for key parts of this magnificent region. Raincoast wishes them all the best in their new pursuits and greatly values their years of dedication to the Great Bear Rainforest, its wildlife, and its people.

Field and Office SupportIndividuals: Steve Andersen, Clare Aries, Don Arney, Sherwin Arnott, Rocky Ashton, Taylor Bachrach, Khya Basan, Katie Baumann, Alison Bembridge, Klaus Berger, Julie Berthin, Sophie-Anne Blanchette, Chris Breen, Jim Brewin, Michael Brooks, Deb Brown, Doug Brown, Randy Burke, Heather Burton, Kelly Butler, Greg Cameron, Curtis Campbell, Farlyn Campbell, Martin Campbell, Mark Carwardine, Nevada Collins, Becky Cory, Nathan deBruyn, Tessa Denelesko, Sukhmander Dhaliwal, Nick Duprey, Ronan Eustace, Rea Fenger, Bristol Foster, Marie Fournier, Caroline Fox, Cricket Fox, Hershel Frimer, Barrie Gilbert, Ian Giles, Jeff Green, Maëlle Gouix, Teri Hague, Lori Harris, Mike Heffring, Nicola Hewson, Cam Hill, Brian Horejsi, Marge Housty, George Hudson, John Heugenard, Morgan Hocking, Cara Hunt, Frances Hunter, Rick Husband, Robin Husband, Ian Jansma, Doug Jodrell, Peter Johnson, Larry Jorgenson, Mel Kinder, Andrew Kotaska, Ingmar Lee, Jean-Marc LeGuerrier, Brie MacDonald, Anna Marie Mallard, Jeremie Marko, Margaret Mason, Wayne McCrory, Rhian McKee, Ian McLoed, Kendra Meier, Gail Moerkerken, Martin Montes, John Nelson, Michelle Nelson, Nam Nguyen, Erin Nyhan, Corey Peet, Robert Penman, Briony Penn, Bill Perrett, Gudrun Pflueger, Marnie Phillips, Leigh Pieterse, John Reynolds, Marven Robinson, Anita Rocamora, Krista Roessingh, Peter Ross, Calvin Sandborn, Sandy and Savvy Sanders, TJ Schouten, Christine Scott, Marilyn Slett, Kevin Smith, Judit Smits, Barbara Souther, Susan Spinks, the late Peter Stratton, Duncan Taylor, Shelby Temple, Waverly Tezak, Jessie Tite, Kara Triance, Michael Uehara, Maggy Wages, Brent Wagner, Jenn Wagnor, David Watson, Charlene Wendt, Chris Williamson, Steve Williamson, Jane Woodland. Students from Bella Bella, Wuikinuxv, and Hartley Bay Community Schools.

Organizations and businesses: Bella Bella RCMP, The Big Heart Rescue Society, King Pacific Lodge, Koeye Camp, Maple Leaf Adventures, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, ONE/Northwest, Patagonia Inc., Raincoast Adventure Sports, Shearwater Marine, Thrifty Foods, University of California Los Angeles, University of Saskatchewan, University of Uppsala, University of Victoria, Wildlife Worldwide.

A special thanks to David Thomson, Dyan Oldenburg and TREC (Training Resources for the Environmental Community) for their invaluable assistance.

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Raincoast Conservation Foundation

PO Box 2429 Sidney, BC

V8L 3Y3

Raincoast Field Office PO Box 77

Denny Island, BC V0T 1B0

P: 250.655.1229 F: 250.655.1339

[email protected] www.raincoast.org